But this money is not being spent in a manner that increases production over the long-run that would pay for this debt.

There can be good spending and you're right, if spending increased production beyond the interest we pay on the debt then it would be a success. Sending money to repave roads that don't need it, pay teacher's salaries that we cannot afford, or supplying fire departments with a couple extra firefighters does not increase production that can match this debt.

They are investing in utopian fantasies. Believing that those who don't work don't do it because they don't have healthcare or not enough personal attention in school because the teacher had too many students or building less efficient energy sources because they believe them to be "more environment friendly" are not investments that will show you a net gain.

Would any of you invest your personal assets this way?

Raising tax revenue will only prevent federal default, not boost the economy.
And it is the economy that really needs the boost the most right now.
We maybe better off temporarily borrowing and reducing taxes, with the hope it restarts our productivity.
Those are not sustainable actions, but may be our best bet right now.

Then after productivity is back, it will be time to determine more permanent tax rates and balanced spending.

Good post, and I don't know the answers.
I can't tell how we are spending really, or what effect is it having.
I can only hope the good is greater than the waste.
Some waste is to be expected.
Better needless pavement than unemployment checks perhaps.
I don't think the current administration would be foolish enough to ignore the main needs that deliberately.
We are all in the same boat together.

Could you imagine the amount of production that could occur if we had 1 tax free year?

I know this isn't feasible, but could you imagine a year where you got to take home your entire check? A year where businesses had enough capital to "try out that new idea".

The more we tax the more we hinder creativity, innovation and new business. Same with the more regulations that only create loopholes for the wealthy, laws that keep civil attorneys rich and "stimulus" plans that bail out the privileged executives and non-productive government employees.

I think it is better for all spending to be in the budget.
That way it can be more easily tracked and reduced.
Obama claims he will reduce the budget to being balanced again.

They are ignoring those needs for their agenda's IMHO. I hope I'm wrong, but every time I read about the stimulus plan it doesn't look promising.

It would be good if the money( trillions) that the government is going to be spending was going to Roads, Bridges, Water lines, Waste lines , Elect lines..
It would save fuel, time, and bring any number of factory jobs home.
What good is it to have a Factory if one can not get goods to and from it, that has power outages, brown outs, poor water?
What good is it if it takes 3 hours to go 20 miles? or go 120 miles out of the way because of a bridge out?

Ike spent Billions on the roads,, today we spend maybe a few thousand...
Obama called for rebuilding the net work but only put a few thousand to do the job...
\

__________________
Government Should Fear the People That Voted Them In!!

New Government=one that the President likes a GOP idea but then the Staff puts that Idea in a very DEEP HOLE.

Read HR143 get enlightment.

The Revolution Will not be Televised

Now this is a better plan. Especially with electric. If the stimulus was being put towards running electric lines under ground (for the million and one reasons it would be safer and more efficient) that would be a good start.


edit: Also, if our renewable energy money was going towards building more efficient renewable energy sources like nuclear plants, this could also serve as a cost benefit in the long-run. Instead, we're rolling the dice on wind and water in hopes we can make it efficient. Part of the plan is also to cut down on our total energy usage, not create more energy usage out of a smaller supply at a cheaper cost to the consumer.

It's as if we need a business man to be president (a real business man).

CNN money is running a story with the headline: Job market shows some improvement, Reports show the market is deteriorating at a slower pace, but unemployment is expected to remain high for some time.

Yay, let's celebrate that there are less jobs to lose !!!


Challenger jobs report shows pace of job cuts slowing - Jul. 1, 2009

WOOOHOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! OBAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How much fuel is wasted each and every day in America by cars , trucks just running and not moving?

"The Crumbling of America" is a show that is going to be on the History channel again ... more need to watch it..

Sad how the people that we elect are missing the boat over this matter.

People say that I should use an elect car or truck, great, but where is that elect going to come from and how am I going to get it if the system only works 65% of the time?

__________________
Government Should Fear the People That Voted Them In!!

New Government=one that the President likes a GOP idea but then the Staff puts that Idea in a very DEEP HOLE.

Read HR143 get enlightment.

The Revolution Will not be Televised

What roads that "don't need it" are being repaved? Just because your off road vehicle can get through doesn't mean the road can carry commercial vehicles. Having more teachers gives you a better educated labor pool, more firefighters means less fire losses. Almost all things are more environmentally friendly BECAUSE they more efficient, and they make people healthier, better workers

How is it a "utopian fantasy" to repair our bridges, but apparently a productive investment to "carry the beacon of freedom" to people who didn't ask us to "liberate" them and want only to kill us in return?

Personally? hey, my most recent investment is replacement windows. They will save a substantial amount of energy and make my heaters much more efficient. I'm buying a Prius next. (I wanna see it go on 'charge' everytime I apply the brakes)

__________________
Alizee Jacotay, the reason god invented hips

We've already reduced taxes below where they cause any more productivity and productivity isn't the problem anyway. What good is increased production when noone is buying? What is needed now is more money to consumers so they will start spending again.

People will not make permanent investments based on something that will only be good for one year. Rich people will buy a new yacht, or make investments overseas, poor people will put the money in a bank, or maybe a mattress as the banks will be in real trouble. We don't NEED new business, we need a restoration of confidence in the businesses we still have.

Gates/Buffet 2016, I'd vote for that

__________________
Alizee Jacotay, the reason god invented hips

C'mon maat. Where did you get this? The govt doesn't own our assets...athough Obama is doing a good job of changing that. Our real estate values dropped because some people stopped paying their mortgages. No more complicated than that. The money we owe the world is backed by the "full faith and credit" of the US govt. In a word...nothing.

When the govt confiscates your income, that's when you no longer have any capital. The ONLY way Obama can get us out of the mess he has created is to raise taxes. That is proven time and time again to make things worse.

Capital is created, not borrowed. And if you don't let the people who have the means to create the capital keep their money, you have no capital. We will never be sending rent checks to China. More likely we will default on our obligations and they will have to suck it up. Funny thing is that they are now stuck in a catch 22. If they stop buying our treasuries we need to sell them in order to pay the interest on the treasuries they already own and the principal on the ones that are matured, they will only f*** themselves since we will then default on what we owe them. It's not like they can just come over here and take the State of California. Although they can have it...it doesn't work that way.

__________________
"If you think about it, UPS and FedEx are doing just fine," he said. "It's the post office that's always having problems." Barack Obama on government run healthcare. 08/11/2009

American by birth.
Conservative by the grace of God.

Still sore about the war of northern aggression.

sounds good problem is he wont be taxing the rich , with cap and trade he will "back door "taxing the middle class he lied to when he said he was going to give tax breaks to 95 % -98% of America , dependent on what speech he was giving and what his handlers told him to say